Application Instructions: Asia School of Business MBA Program (2018 Intake)

To submit a completed application, the following are required:

Cover Letter

The cover letter is your way of introducing yourself to the admissions committee. It should be succinct and tie together your past experience and your goals for the future in 250 words or fewer.

Résumé

Please submit a resume that includes your work experience and educational experience in reverse chronological order. It should indicate dates by month/year. It should focus on accomplishments. Extracurricular and other information appropriate to a business resume is welcomed and encouraged. Your resume should not exceed two pages in length.

Essays (2)

There are two Required Essay Questions:

Please describe an example of a time when you made a contribution to a team or group. Tell us what you were thinking, saying and doing.

ASB students will be immersed in an extremely diverse environment. Please describe a situation in which you had to deal with cultural differences. Tell us what you were thinking, saying and doing.

*Please answer the essay questions by using recent examples from your professional, educational or personal experiences. Maximum length for each required essay is 300 words.

There is one Optional Question:

Is there any other information that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in evaluating your application to the ASB MBA program? Maximum length is 200 words

Transcripts

All applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in order to apply to the Asia School of Business MBA Program.

Please scan and upload copies of your academic transcripts from all programs you attended that contributed to a degree. If a transcript is not written in English, you must provide a certified translation. The original and the official English translation should be scanned and uploaded as part of your application.

If your educational institution does not use a 4.0 GPA grading scale, please ensure that your transcripts include a description of the grading scale. If your transcripts do not provide this information, you will be required to do so.

An “unofficial” or student copy of transcripts can be provided; however, if an applicant is admitted to the MBA program, he or she will be required to submit an official transcript signed and sealed from every school attended that contributed to a degree. Any discrepancies between the scanned transcripts and official transcripts may result in a candidate’s rejection or a withdrawal of our offer of admission.

Please also submit a copy of all diplomas/degrees/certificates from programs from which you have received a degree (originals as well as certified English translations if necessary). You may either include the scanned copy of your degree/diploma with your transcript upload, or you may attach it as a separate document.

Test Scores and/or Video Submissions

GMAT or GRE

The ASB Admissions Committee strongly prefers all applicants to submit a valid GMAT or GRE score as part of their application. We accept both the GMAT and GRE test results and have no preference for one over the other.

Test scores are only valid for five years. Therefore, for applicants planning to enter the program in 2018, we will consider all scores taken after August 1, 2013. We ask that you also include percentiles when submitting your score. You may self-report your scores within your application and have your official GMAT or GRE scores sent to Asia School of Business.

There is no program code required for the GMAT

MBA GRE School Code: 7568

*If you are applying without a test score, you are required to submit a video as part of your application, which tells the Admissions Committee what qualities you exhibit that sets you apart from your peers, why you qualify for the program through your unique experiences, and how you will contribute to the MBA classroom. The Admissions Committee ultimately reserves the right to require a test score from all applicants. Those who submit a test score are still welcomed to submit a video.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT

Applicants who did not obtain a degree from an English speaking university are required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. The minimum test score to meet the English Proficiency requirement is a 6.0 for IELTS or the equivalent TOEFL score as posted on the ETS website.

TOEFL Institution Code: B408

VIDEO SUBMISSION

While ASB strongly encourages applicants to apply with their GMAT or GRE test results, the Admissions Committee offers an alternative route for applicants who wish to apply without a test score.

Individuals applying without a test score are required to submit a video as part of their application, which tells the Admissions Committee what unique qualities they exhibit that sets them apart from their peers, why they qualify for the program through their unique experiences, and how they will contribute to the MBA classroom. In the past, the Admissions Committee has considered a video submission in place of test score from applicants who have:

Built a successful start-up;

Made paradigm-shifting changes within their company or industry; or

Completed a JD, PhD or quantitative-based Master’s degree from an accredited higher education institution and have demonstrated exceptional quantitative skills

*Those who apply with a GMAT or GRE test score are also welcomed to submit a video.

Please Note:

Video submission is mandatory for applicants without a test score, and is optional for applicants who do submit a test score

The video submission is an opportunity for you to showcase aspects of your personality that you wish to highlight to the Admissions Committee; therefore, we prefer that you appear in person in your video

*The Admissions Committee ultimately reserves the right to require a test score from all applicants

Letters of Recommendation (2)

Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation. Professional recommendations are preferred from individuals who are able to speak with certainty about your professional achievements and potential. We do not accept recommendations from family members.

Recommenders must submit recommendations online. We do not accept recommendations via the mail.

ASB utilizes the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation form. Please choose recommenders who are able to provide specific answers to the following questions:

Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization. (Maximum word count: 50 words)

How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? (E.g. what are the applicant’s principal strengths?) (Maximum word count: 500 words)

Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (Maximum word count: 500 words)

Is there anything else we should know? (Optional)

More information about the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation can be found here.

You must input the names and contact information for each recommender, including their email address. Upon saving the information, the recommender will receive an email with instructions. We prefer that you enter a professional or academic email address – not a personal one.

Several corporate servers block our recommendation emails. We encourage you to confirm with your recommender that they have received the email request. If your recommenders do not receive the relevant email, please ask them to check their spam/junk folders and add Asia School of Business to their list of trusted senders. If your recommender encounters difficulty submitting, please ask them to email admissions@asb.edu.my for assistance.

Lastly, it is your responsibility to remind your recommenders of the application deadline date in order for your complete application to be completed on time. Your application will not be considered complete until both recommendations have been submitted.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Application Deadlines

Applications are due by 3:00pm Malaysia Standard Time (GMT+8) on the deadline date, including all required documents and recommendation letters:

Round 1: October 19, 2017

Round 2: January 18, 2018

Round 3: March 29, 2018

*All international students are strongly encouraged to apply in Rounds 1 or 2 due to timelines for processing international student visa applications.

Application Fee

There is no application fee required at this time.

Interviews

Interviews will be scheduled by invitation only, after an initial evaluation of a complete application. Depending on the availability and location of the interviewer and applicant, we will conduct an in-person interview or a Skype video interview.

Our interview schedule is built based on the distribution of the applicant pool received. We try to give at least one-week advance notice of the interview schedule date/time.

Decisions

All applicants are informed of admission decisions through the online application system, including those who do not get invited to interview.

Admitted Students Events

Applicants admitted to the program early enough in the admissions cycle will be invited to attend Admit Weekend in Kuala Lumpur on March 16-18, 2018. Those who are unable to attend Admit Weekend are welcome to come visit our campus at another time.

Deposit

If admitted, we require a MYR10,000 deposit to secure your place in the class. Deposits are due according to the deadline listed in the admission letter.